


Down on Love

by Autumnrose222



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Connor (Detroit: Become Human) is Bad at Feelings, Fluff, Gavin Reed Redemption, Getting Together, Hank Anderson Adopts Connor, I can't write that shit, M/M, No Smut, SO MUCH FLUFF, mentions sex, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-06-05 14:18:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15172538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Autumnrose222/pseuds/Autumnrose222
Summary: Connor is back at the DPD and Detective Reed has been acting... Strangely. Choosing to investigate this strange phenomenon, Connor is thrust into a world of terrible flirting, spicy food, cats, disapproving parents, and maybe something more?





	1. An apology

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fic EVER! Please tell me if it's bad or good or mediocre because I have no clue about how to do anything! Love this pairing and will be sticking in my favorite headcanons that I've seen so far. Don't know if I'll continue to write, so definitely let me know if you want to see more!  
> Also please let me know if there are any grammar mistakes!!! My first language is English and I deserve all the blame for my errors

Connor slightly tilted his head, eyebrows pinching in confusion. “I must have misheard you, Detective, could you please repeat yourself?”

 

Detective Reed eyes darted to the left to avoid Connor’s stare. He muttered quietly in a slightly frenzied voice “Of course. Of fucking course, he’s going to make me repeat myself.” The detective’s eyes quickly skirted back and forth before tentatively looking at Connor.

 

“Look… I- I’m sorry for the shit that I did. I get that it was fucked up. Just…. Fuck,” Reed spoke the words like they were physically hurting him and by the time he got the last word out of his mouth, he had already left. He quickly vacated the breakroom, leaving Connor by himself to stare at the spot he once occupied.

 

Connor had come to the breakroom approximately two minutes and forty-three seconds ago where he was getting coffee for Hank. On the way, he could sense Detective Reed following but chose to allow him to confront him in the empty room, confident in his skill in incapacitating the detective. He was even more surprised when he did not try to attack or verbally assault Connor but apologized. When Reed was first attempting his apology, Connor was so focused on the data that he was analyzing from the detective that he didn’t even realize he was speaking to him. Flushed cheeks, elevated heart rate, averted eye contact, clenched fists, slight perspiration: these were all the classic signs of anxiety, but it baffled Connor that his usually cocky demeanor had so suddenly disappeared.

 

Connor had returned to the DPD a week ago, two months after becoming deviant and helping Marcus free their people. Marcus had claimed that they needed him, and his work could be greatly beneficial to their cause. Connor stayed for almost a month, helping other androids and trying to work with cyberlife to give deviants more human-like abilities. The market for Android products had exploded and now many androids could eat, drink, sleep, ‘grow’ hair and nails, experience pleasure or pain, and even get drunk. While Connor was slowly integrating these new things into his life, he realized he felt empty. He knew the work he was doing was important and beneficial to their people, but Connor also knew this was not where expertise lied. So, he decided to return to the DPD to do what he was meant to do.

 

Hank welcomed him back with open arms and an open home, allowing him to convert the garage of his home into his own space. A bed and desk were placed there, and minimal decoration was done. Connor preferred to spend time inside the home either with Hank or Sumo. He was also welcomed back to the DPD after a proper interview was conducted and all the paperwork was filed. Many agreed that Connor was good at what he did and would like to see him back, but Connor didn’t expect one of those people to be Detective Reed.

 

Quickly grabbing the coffee for the Lieutenant, Connor quickly made his way back to his desk across from Hank’s. Quietly placing the coffee other desk and then taking his seat, Connor’s head was still reeling from what happened in the breakroom. He quietly wondered if maybe there was a problem with his processing components and chose to do a quick diagnostic test.

 

_NO ERRORS; All Components Fully Functional_

 

At least now Connor knew that the words Detective Reed spoke were real. His eyes darted to see the man at his desk, head buried in the terminal, and furiously writing a report.

 

Connor was quickly pulled from his thoughts by a choking noise made by Hank. “What the fuck, Connor!? I know you said I need to cut back on the sugar, but there is no way I’m going to drink my coffee without it,” Hank was staring at Connor disapprovingly and proceeded to rummage around multiple desk drawers to produce five sugar packets. Connor felt his face flush, probably a cyan blue now.

 

“I am sorry, Lieutenant. I did not purposely forgo sugar. I was… Distracted,” Connor tried to sound as calm and put together as he could in front of Hank, not wanting to worry him.

 

Hanks' eyebrows shot up and he looked at Connor incredulously. “Distracted? Son, you have never been distracted before.” Hank refused to back down and interrogated him as any concerned parent would. Or at least that’s the interaction Connor compared it to.

 

Connor chose to remain nonchalant and steadily met Hank’s blue skeptical eyes. “Its nothing, Detective,” Connor calmly stated, “My thoughts were just preoccupied with our current case.” He hoped that by slightly turning his head to the left, he would not notice the blinking yellow of his LED, a telltale sign that he was lying.

 

Hank just scoffed, “You mean that stupid breaking and entering? That’s just fucking paperwork. And stop calling me Lieutenant, asshole.” Hank’s eyes narrowed and seemed to promise him that there would be a discussion about this later, but he grumbled and went back to work.

 

Mentally sighing in relief, Connor returned to looking at his computer blankly. He looked up suddenly to see if Detective Reed heard any of their conversation and caught him staring directly at Connor. Reed’s eye’s widened and his face turned bright red while moved his head behind his computer as fast as he could.

 

Connor would need to analyze this information tonight. There was certainly something odd going on with Detective Reed that he was going to figure out.

 


	2. Thinking

Connor’s feet crunched on the freshly ground snow as he and Hank walked to the antique car. Connor found that the snow still fascinated him. It was solid, but so delicate and soft and melted almost instantly on warm things. When he had his temperature sensors on it was extremely cold and seemed to make his hands tingle. He had also even tried to eat it, which made Hank laugh until he had tears streaming down his cheeks.

 

Hank had slumped himself into the driver’s seat as Connor gracefully sat in the passenger side. Hank fumbled with his keys and started the car, his hands reaching out to feel the warm air blowing from the vents. Connor was very cold too and was bundled with two jackets on top of his suit jacket. While the cold was an inconvenience, he knew it was something that made him feel human, so he indulged his silly desires.

 

As they started down the icy roads, Hank started to give Connor side looks, trying to figure out how Connor would react to a new conversation.

 

“So,” Hank started off slow and casually, “What’s going on between you and Reed?” He didn’t even need to look at Connor to tell that he had gone completely still, his LED blinking yellow wildly in the reflection of the window.

 

“Reed, Lieutenant? I am not sure I understand what you are asking,” Connor spoke slowly with purpose as if he thought about the exact words he wanted to use for this conversation.

 

Hank just snorted, “Oh so that’s how you want to play it? I may be old as fuck Connor, but I’ve still got eyes. And stop calling me Lieutenant, for Christ’s sake, we aren’t even on duty.” Hank sounded sure of himself and he wasn’t wrong. Connor was almost impressed with his ability to pay attention to that level of detail.

 

Deciding it best to come clean, Connor began to tell him all of what happened. “I am sorry, Hank. Detective Reed simply just approached me while I was attempting to get you coffee. What he said confused me and I am not sure I understand.” His brows pinched again as he viewed the detective’s actions today as a very hard and complicated puzzle.

 

“What!? What did that slimy fucker say? You should’ve told me before, so I could punch his smug fucking mouth! You know you don’t have to put up with his shit, Connor? Why didn’t you just tell me?” Hank spit out. He was starting to visibly fume, gripping the wheel tighter than before and almost yelling.

 

Ah, Connor thought, I should have expected this kind of response with my wording. Connor spoke quickly hoping to placate the angry man, “It was nothing of the sort Lieutenant. Detective Reed did not behave antagonistically but… apologized to me. For his previous behavior.” At this Hank deflated, but his anger was still very much there.

 

“What do you mean apologized? He was probably just trying to prank you Connor or maybe he was being sarcastic. I don’t know, but just stay away from that asshole, I don’t trust him.” Hank grumbled, probably thinking that this resolved the conversation.

 

Connor chose not to speak again, in order to not further Hank’s anger. He couldn’t help but feel as if there was something sincere about the Detective’s behavior. He would need to think of a strategy to see what Detective’s Reed’s true intentions were.

 

……………………………………………………………………………………

 

Gavin reed nosily unlocked his apartment door and shuffled into a dark room before turning on the lights. His small apartment was kept tidy and done with the most neutral of colors. He signed tiredly and started to strip from his jackets and shoes. Almost immediately soft fur began to glide across his legs. A deep meow forced him to look down at the animal between his legs.

 

There was no way to describe the cat as pretty or graceful as most cats are, but Gavin felt spiritually connected to the feline. It had a narrow face with a long snout and giant ears that seemed to take up half of the unfortunate cat’s face. He felt that the odd clumsy cat looked like how he seemed to often feel. Out of place, unfortunate, and awkward. But nonetheless, the cat had wormed a way into Gavin’s heart.

 

“Oh, shut up, Nico, I’m trying to feed you as fast as I can,” Gavin grumbled with no real annoyance. He placed the bowl of cat pellets in front of Nico’s odd shaped head, who had started to prance around at the mention of his name. As he started to lightly pet the feline’s large ears and tell him about his day.

 

“Well, I finally fucking did it. I apologized to the tin can. And then he caught me staring at him, so I don’t know if that made it any better. Ugh, he probably thinks I’m a freak if he didn’t already.” Gavin fretted about his confusing circumstances.

 

Nico slowly raised his head to look at Gavin and blinked. And went immediately back to eating. Gavin laughed, “Great, I guess I’m crazy. I’m talking to my cat and trying to earn the forgiveness of someone that hates my guts. Why is my life like this?” He sighed and went to the fridge to grab a beer.

 

Flopping undignifiedly on a sofa in front of a tv, Gavin slowly sipped his beer and waited for Nico to get done eating to begin their nightly ritual of cuddling in front of the tv. But his mind started to drift off to Connor again.

 

He truly felt bad for treating the android-like he had. How was he supposed to know that they had feelings? Even if his animosity towards the androids wasn’t there fault, he couldn’t lie and say that taking out his anger on them without repercussions was pleasing at the time. But now it just made him feel like shit. He was determined to make Connor think better of him no matter how much people pleasing it required.

 

And to make it worse, Connor was a good detective. He was smart and thought on his feet. He had even heard that he had saved Anderson’s life a few times. He couldn’t believe that they were making someone as brilliant as Connor work with someone like Hank. When he first joined the DPD he had admired the Lieutenant and wanted to be just as honorable and determined as he had been. It was too bad that when Gavin had joined that the Lieutenant that he had heard stories about was a ghost of the man he once was and spent more nights drunk than sober.

 

But Connor working with Hank just proved how amazing he was. Connor actually got through to that asshole and now he was getting good at his job again. If anyone could give Gavin a second chance it would be Connor, even if he didn’t deserve it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone that commented or gave kudos!!! I spent this morning writing some more and am going to try to post a chapter daily. Let me know if it's any good!
> 
> Also the title is from the Sarah Blasko song by the same name
> 
> I would also like to thank ChangeTheCircumstances, who is a personal friend and an amazing writer. He actually was the one who made me play Detroit: Become Human and inspired me to write


	3. Investigations

Beep Beep Beep… Beep Beep Beep…Beep

 

Gavin’s hand shot out from the cocoon of pillows fumbling for the ringing phone. Nico made an unhappy noise as he was hoisted from his customary spot on Gavin’s chest. Grappling the phone and looking briefly at the caller ID, Gavin answered, “This better be fucking good, Miller.”

 

There was a sigh from the Chris Miller across the phone, “Look, man, I’m sorry but we got something. Android homicide in a house off McGraw Avenue, and it looks pretty bad. Think you can come in?” Gavin let out a long breath. Chris did sound pretty desperate for help, and Connor might even be there to help. Wait, what? Gavin started to frown. Why the fuck did he care if Connor was there and why did his chest get all weird when he thought about it? Gavin looked at the clock which read 2:34 AM. He promptly decided that it was way too early to deal with this shit.

 

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute, just text me the address,” Gavin gave in to the man easily, probably because he did not want to be alone with his thoughts.

 

“Thanks, Reed, I owe you one,” and the line went dead.

 

“Come one, Nico, I’ve got to get up. And maybe if I’m lucky, Connor will be there too.”

 

But when Gavin looked at the cat next to him, the cat was already curled up and back to sleep.

 

………………………………………

 

“What have we got here?” Gavin ordered as he walked straight through the police line. His clothes were wrinkled from yesterday and he had circles under his eyes, but he still commanded the same presence as he always did.

 

Officer Chen was the first to speak on his right. “Android. Male. Model TR 200. Shot in the head by the looks of it, not sure if it was post-mortem or not. Not much evidence to guy on either.”

 

“Jesus, look at the size of him. Whoever killed him must have been able to carry their own.” Gavin commented, not trying to be unkind but just making an observation of the android. He was obviously made for heavy lifting as the android was tall and had large muscles.

 

“He’s also a deviant. I wonder if they knew if he was an android when they killed him.” Gavin started to talk his thoughts out loud, Chen writing down what he was saying on an electronic pad, when not taking more pictures of the crime scene.

 

“And why do you think that, Detective?” A clear voice was heard at the door. Gavin spun around to see Connor in a clean and pressed suit, looking as if he just walked out of a magazine cover. Gavin had to admit that Connor was able to clean up good and _fast_ , as he only arrived a few minutes after Gavin to the scene. Connor looked expectantly at Gavin waiting for an answer to his question.

 

Gavin smirked, but not unkindly. “The LED is missing. Most deviants take them out to assimilate better.”

 

Connor raised a single eyebrow and pointed to his own LED, “Most.”

 

“Most,” Gavin agreed. He was suddenly curious as to why Connor didn’t take his out. He wanted to ask as much but Connor was already talking to Chris in the corner of the small living room about the details of the crime. He tried not to feel disappointed but couldn’t seem to help the pang that went through him.

 

When Connor returned to looking at the victim, Gavin tried to lead him into a conversation again. “So, Anderson didn’t want to make the trip?” God, he immediately started to berate himself and his words. Was that an asshole thing to say? Would Connor get offended?

 

But he was yanked from his thoughts by Connor turning to look at him and giving a small smile. “He certainly did not appreciate being woke up so early and told me to ‘fuck off’, “Connor answered good-naturedly.

 

Gavin burst out into a giggle, which he quickly tried to cover as a cough. He wasn’t laughing about Anderson but was laughing because Connor had actually said fuck! He didn’t want to alarm Connor with his weird thoughts or make him think that he was making fun of him, so he chose to start asking about the crime scene around him.

 

“Um, sorry about that. Can you tell us the cause of death?” Gavin asked looking anywhere but Connor’s face.

 

…………………………………………

 

When Connor first arrived at the crime scene to see Detective Reed standing before the victim’s body, he had no idea what to expect. He knew that the man had apologized earlier for his actions, but he didn’t know if the detective was going to act any differently than he had before, especially in front of their coworkers.

 

What shocked Connor the most was that Detective Reed was taking his answers seriously. He couldn’t fault his detective work and was impressed by how efficiently Reed worked, even at 3 AM.

 

He was also taken aback by his sudden outburst. Connor guessed that it was a laugh but was unsure why he would laugh at his previous statement and why he had laughed so oddly.

 

Detective Reed seemed to be anxious. “Sorry about that,” the detective said quietly. “Can you tell us the cause of death?” Connor noticed that he avoided his gaze and chalked it up to embarrassment.

 

Connor crouched next to the lifeless body and began to analyze the scene. High impact spatter of thirium was on the wall behind the crumpled form. No other problems seemed to be present with the android’s biocomponents. Detective Reed was right in assuming the android was deviant. He owned this shabby home in a rundown part of Detroit. He also saw that his name was Samuel according to the lease. The suspect was careful not to leave any fingerprints behind and the gun was missing. But what he had missed was a faint shoe print made with old thirium from a different model android. Connor decided to share these findings with Detective Reed.

 

“The cause of death was a gunshot to the head. The blood spatter suggests that he was in front of this wall when he was shot. His name was Samuel and you were correct, he was a deviant. There aren’t any fingerprints that I can find, but there is a shoe print near the exit of the of the living room with traces of old thirium.” Connor spoke clearly and concisely, hoping that the detective wouldn’t need any help further understanding what he was trying to say.

 

Gavin nodded, seeming to process all the information he was given. Still looking at the victim, Reed spoke again. “I don’t think this is the first time this suspect has killed an android.” He then swallowed uncomfortably. Connor was intrigued by this as he did not think that the detective would be that upset about the death of an Android. He knew that many still did not believe that deviants had the same value as humans and was shocked that Detective Reed might feel differently.  

 

“Ok,” Gavin began, “Let’s go around the rest of the house and see if there are any more shoe prints.” The rest of the officers stayed where they were, but Connor nodded quickly and followed him out of the room.

 

As they reached the back door, Connor noticed that the shoe prints led outside.

 

“Are there any furnishings or structures outside we should be aware of, Detective? The shoe prints seem to lead to the back to and from the back door. There are no signs of a forced entry, but the lock does seem easy to pick.” Connor said, unsure if his answer would be any use to the investigation. It was most likely that the suspect had already fled, but if he cut himself climbing a fence or left behind another piece of evidence, Connor might be able to tell who it was.

 

Detective Reed deepened his scowl at Connor’s words. “I think I remember seeing a small shed out back, but I didn’t see anything else.”

 

Connor tried again with clearer meaning in his words. He sometimes found it hard to know how to phrase things so that people will understand his meaning. “Was there any kind of fence surrounding the house?"

 

The detective’s eyes immediately lit up. “There’s a wire fence out back we can go check it out. There might be something on it. Good thinking, Connor.” The compliment was rushed, and Reed was walking out the door before Connor had time to process what was said. It seemed to be a habit of Reeds to rush out after saying anything personal. That was certainly interesting.

 

As they were walking out through the snowy grass, Connor’s sole focus was on getting to the old rusty fence to examine it for evidence. The detective slowed down and let Connor go ahead of him a few paces, knowing he probably wouldn’t be much help.

 

The small door to the small shed slammed open when an older burly man came running out with a handgun. Time seemed to slow down for Connor. There were no other officers present except for himself and Reed. Reed was shouting for backup when the suspect started to aim his gun towards Connor’s torso.

 

Connor stood still, knowing that it was unlikely that the suspect would completely incapacitate him and didn’t want to endanger the detective’s life in any conceivable way, should he decide to change targets if Connor moved.

 

Connor was quite literally knocked from his thoughts and his mind when a warm body slammed into him, forcing him to the icy ground.

 

A gunshot rang out in the cold January air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I wasn't planning on posting another chapter today but, I probably won't be able to write tomorrow, so this is like your chapter in advance! If there are any spelling errors, please let me know!!! I am running on 6 hours of sleep and caffeine so there might be some. 
> 
> I also just want to thank everyone who has given kudos or commented on this. It seriously means the world to me so thank you!


	4. Names

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know I said that I wasn't going to write another chapter today, but it was a slow day at work, so I took advantage of it.
> 
> Thanks again to everyone that leaves comments or kudos!!!!

Gavin could barely believe what was happening. He and Connor were walking leisurely towards the back fence of the property. Gavin could hardly believe that Connor was so willing to work with him, let alone speak to him. The android was probably one of the best detectives Gavin had worked with; he was quick thinking and worked efficiently. It also didn’t hurt that Connor had a pleasing face, Gavin thought. Gavin walked at a slower pace behind Connor and couldn’t help but start to check him out. He always knew that Connor was attractive, but his confidence, chocolate eyes, and especially his height were greatly appealing to Gavin.

 

As Gavin’s eyes were slowly starting to climb Connor’s legs, trying to completely block out his intrusive and sexually charged thoughts, there was a loud banging noise. The shed opened loudly to reveal the suspect with a gun. It was like Gavin’s worst nightmares were coming true. Years of training came back to him as he let his instincts take over.

 

“BACK UP! WE NEED BACK UP!” Gavin was frantically screaming as he was trying to desperately assess the best course of action. He could shoot at the suspect, but if he wasn’t quick enough, himself or Connor could get hurt.

 

Cold dread filled Gavin’s chest as he realized that the man was pointing his gun at Connor. And Connor wasn’t moving out of the way. Gavin moved without thinking, tackling the taller android to the snowy ground.

 

A gunshot was ripped through the air and Gavin prayed to some higher power that he was fast enough.

 

Christ Miller was yelling from behind him, “Suspect is down, I repeat, Suspect is down.” Gavin let out a sigh of relief. He looked at the people behind him, handcuffing the bloody man’s hands behind his back and calling for an ambulance. From Gavin’s view, it looked like the man had gotten shot in his upper arm. Gavin wouldn’t have minded giving the suspect a little more pain to deal with. 

 

Still breathing heavily and filled with adrenaline, Gavin turned back to Connor who was motionless underneath his arms. Connor’s eyes were wide open and he was staring at Gavin in either shock or surprise. Gavin let out a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding after seeing that Connor wasn’t hurt.

 

That relief quickly turned to anger.

 

“What the fuck were you thinking? HUH? Why didn’t move out of the fucking way you dumbass? Did you want to get killed?” Gavin practically shouted into Connor’s face. Connor did not answer his barrage of questions but blinked a few times with the same look of shock on his face.

 

Gavin sighed, he knew that his answers would most likely get unanswered. A wave of tiredness swept over him and he slowly stood up, brushing off the snow that had managed to stick to his clothes. Staring down at Connor who was still on the ground watching his movements, Gavin reached a hand down holding it out to Connor, the universal message to help him up.

 

After a few beats, Gavin was thinking about retreating his hand. Connor was probably pissed at him for some unknown reason and he was stupid for ever thinking that he could forgive Gavin for all what he did. Just before he was about to yank the hand back, Connor reached up and grabbed it softly. Connor’s hands were soft, smooth, and… Warm? Choosing not to dwell too much on it, Gavin used his own very callused hand to pull Connor up to a standing position.

 

Gavin looked up into Connor’s brown eyes. They were so expressive, Gavin began to wonder how he even thought that Connor was anything but alive. He talked slowly not wanting to scare off the android, “Are you ok?”  


Connor looked somewhat calmed by this question. Gavin watched him frown and begin to open his mouth. “Yes, Detective. All my biocomponents are fully functional.”

 

“Good,” Gavin said, eyes not leaving Connor’s. He gave out another sigh and finally turned to see Chris walking over to them.

 

“Hey, are you guys ok? We’re about to bring this guy to the station now,” Chris spoke hesitantly probably not wanting to incur Gavin’s wrath.

 

“Yeah, thanks, man. We’re going to head out. We’ll question him in the morning.” Gavin spoke tiredly and more thankfully than he had probably spoken to Chris in a long time. Even since the deviancy cases, Gavin’s anger had emerged and unfortunately, he seemed to bring it out on the people closest to him.

 

Chris must have sensed the apology in his voice because he gave a small smile and said goodnight before heading back to the crowd of officers around the pile of cop cars outside the house.

 

Gavin turned to Connor. “Come on,” he said before even realizing what he was saying, “I’ll give you a ride back home.”

 

…………………………………………………………..

 

Connor sat in the warm car in silence. It was a nice car, Connor thought absentmindedly. It was older but seemed to have been restored. It was also one of the first electronic cars that were ever made. A Tesla he believed. 

 

Gavin didn’t say anything as he drove, paying close attention to the road as they slowly made their way to Hank and Connor’s home.

 

Connor felt that he needed to tell the detective what he had been thinking. He owed him at least that much. The last thing Connor had been expecting was for Detective Reed to try and save him. He knew that their relationship was progressing, but he was shocked by how determined Reed had been.

 

An interesting occurrence was the anger that Reed displayed at Connor for not trying to save his own life. He rationalized that this meant that Detective Reed must have cared for him at least a small amount. This realization left Connor confused and feeling different. He had only realized after Reed reached down an arm to help him up that he hadn’t been answering the man’s questions.

 

He would need to analyze the… emotions that Detective Reed was making him feel and their possible meaning. But first, he needed to apologize.

 

“Detective,” Connor began. When getting the man’s attention, he noted that his hands gripped the steering wheel tighter and his heart rate increased. “I wanted to thank you for your actions earlier this morning, even if they were unnecessary. I calculated my risk of getting fatally shot of 37% while if I had taken cover, the chances of you being injured would have been at 64%. In the future, it would perhaps be wiser to not do anything and save your self from any injury.”

 

As Connor stopped speaking, Detective Reed started to shake. Just before Connor could ask if anything was wrong with the man, he started to laugh. Loud and slightly hysteric laughs filled Connor’s ears and it confused him to no end.

 

“Detective? Are you alright?” Connor was starting to get worried. What if these sudden events had launched Reed into insanity?

 

But that thought didn’t need to be analyzed as the Detective got a check on his laughter. He glanced at Connor from the side of his eyes and spoke, “Damn, you try to save a guy’s life and he tells you not to do it again. Only you would say that, Connor.” The last of the smile finally went away as his voice took on a serious note. “Look, Connor,” Reed let out a breath. “Humans don’t have fancy percentages running in our heads for every situation at hand. We just have to think on the fly. And at that moment, I saw you about to get shot and I knew there was no way in heaven or hell that I wasn’t going to do anything about it.”

 

Connor took this information in. He was often perplexed by human behavior but for some reason, Detective Reed was one of the most confusing people he had ever met. He still had one more question he had to ask.

 

Connor chose his words carefully, not wanting to make the man angry, “But why did you choose to save me? I am an android, detective.”

 

“Jesus Christ, Connor,” Gavin let out a groan as if he was desperately trying to get some message across to Connor. He had no idea what point Reed was trying to make, but maybe by learning this, he could understand the detective’s unusual behavior better. “Look, you may be an android, but you’re more human than most actual humans. I’ll be damned if I let another officer die while I’m there.” He said this matter of factly. He muttered after a pause, “You’re a good person and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

 

Connor was surprised by this answer. He didn’t expect Gavin to so abruptly change his opinions on androids, and now he even thought of Connor as part of the team. The weird feeling in his chest returned. Connor started to worry that maybe he was malfunctioning as his chest started to feel warm and tight all over.

 

The car slowed on the familiar street that Connor had associated with his home.

 

“Thank you, Detective Reed. I look forward to working with you in the future,” Connor said in preparation to leave the vehicle. Reed’s face turned bright red and it seemed to Connor that he wasn’t breathing. Connor opened the door hoping to jar the detective out of his state. Once Connor made sure he was breathing again, he stepped out of the vehicle onto the barely lit street.

 

“Good night, Detective Reed,” Connor tried to say, not actually wanting the conversation end. He wanted to stay in the warm car with Reed and ask him more about his changing feelings, no matter how illogical that may be.

 

Right before Connor was going to close the door he hears a muffled, “Wait!” He looked back into the car to see the detective reaching across the passenger seat trying to reach Connor.

 

Connor was baffled but let him continue, “Yes?”

 

Detective Reed had an odd look in his eyes, almost melancholy but desperate. “C-call me Gavin. I think we’ve been through enough to be on a first name basis,” he reasoned softly, his eyes not meeting Connors. His cheeks were red again and the embarrassment was palpable to Connor.

 

Connor thought that there was only one appropriate response to this.

 

“Goodnight, Gavin”


	5. Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long today!!! I usually work every day of the week and only get the weekends off, so they're usually jam-packed for me! Managed to squeeze some time for this chapter.
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone that leaves kudos or comments!! I love you and your words!!!

Connor opened the old wooden door as quietly as he could. He wasn’t sure if any of the other officers had called Hank about what had happened, and all he could do was hope that he could wait to tell him about the unfortunate circumstances of the case. He would absolutely tell Hank about what happened but wanted to use the remainder of the night to think Det-Gavin. Connor thought himself lucky as an android as sleep was not necessary but was more of a dreamless ‘sleep mode.’

 

Sumo laid sleeping on the couch. Connor smiled. He adored the giant slobbering dog, and Sumo returned those feelings tenfold. Connor quietly walked across the living room to sit in the small space on the couch that wasn’t taken up by Sumo’s massive body. Thankfully the dog readjusted to give Connor room to sit and to put his head on Connor’s lap. He could hear Hank’s muffled snores through multiple walls as he softly ran his fingers through the St. Bernard’s fur. This would be an optimal time to think about Gavin Reed’s current behavior.

 

He knew that Gavin’s feelings had changed in the 2 months between the android demonstration and Connor’s reemployment at the DPD. He didn’t understand his passionate hatred for the Android and still doesn’t, but Connor concludes that it mustn’t have been personal if he was going to lengths to accept him.

 

It was obvious that the detective had changed with his behavior today. First by listening to what he was saying and then trying to save his life. He must at least value Connor as another officer and human being from his actions and words earlier. From looking at all of Gavin’s previous interactions with other officers, he held Connor in high esteem. He didn’t smirk or berate him but took his advice seriously. Connor thought he only would act that way around Chris Miller. They hadn’t been on a friendly basis for very long so it perplexed Connor as to why he trusted him so quickly.

 

A key component of all Connor and Gavin’s interactions was the detective’s embarrassment. His cocky and confident demeanor had been a staple throughout the entire DPD, so it was certainly confusing as to why he was nervous around Connor. Searching databases on this expressed behavior on the internet were only somewhat helpful. Most pop culture articles associated the nervousness that Gavin displayed with romantic intent or feelings. Connor knew that couldn’t possibly be it. Another common reason could be that he feared Connor. This seemed more likely to Connor as he had rendered the detective unconscious on an occasion. His superior strength and replicability were possibly something that Gavin feared, as he wouldn’t survive in a fight. The problem with this was that Gavin wouldn’t have saved Connor if he feared him. He wouldn’t even attempt to be as nice to him as he would. Connor rationalized that if the detective was truly afraid of him, he would have made his peace and then avoided him.

 

The results were inconclusive. Connor would need more interaction with Detective Reed (or Gavin) to discover the nature of his feelings.

 

Another thing that worried Connor was the anomalies that he was experiencing when he was talking to Reed. His chest would feel tight and warm. Sometimes it almost felt like his biocomponents were being ripped out and then put back in. He knew this probably had to do with the new human emotions he could feel. Another deep scan revealed that nothing was wrong with any of his hardware or programming.

 

Connor knew that the best course of action would to be to talk to someone who had intimate knowledge of these emotions. Someone who had to discover them just like Connor did. Someone like Markus.

 

He was fortunate he supposed that he knew the other android’s habits from their time together. Most nights the androids that Markus worked with stayed awake to learn or track down other androids. Some nights Markus would talk to Connor about the future of androids, their past, and emotions. Markus had felt more emotions than Connor could even imagine. Connor felt as though he was a child, only comprehending basic feelings of happiness, sadness, anger. It took Markus’s help on some occasions for him to recognize the new complex ones: the excitement of seeing Sumo, his familial love for Hank, his envy of humans, and the turmoil he felt after the slaughter of his people.

 

Connor decided to try to contact Markus. While he could call him, he chose to gently move Sumo’s now sleeping head off his lap, grab Hank’s archaic laptop, and go to his small area in the garage. Once he was sure that he did not wake Hank with his movement, Connor quickly opened a video chat with a computer the closest to Markus’s last known location. He found that with a video call it would be easier for him to understand Markus's words. 

 

The computer made a trilling noise to symbolize it’s ring 3 times before the chat was answered. The android on screen was immediately recognizable.

 

“Connor!” Josh greeted happily. Connor smiled in response. He was happy to see a familiar face, even if he hadn’t seen Josh for over a month.

 

“Hello, Josh. I trust everything is agreeable at headquarters?” After the destruction of Jericho, there was some debate over what to name the building that the androids had taken over. Some started to call it the headquarters as a joke and the name stuck. Even humans referred to the building as ‘headquarters.’

 

“It’s just as you left it. Is there something you need? Or are you thinking of coming back?” Josh asked enthusiastically. Josh had been a friend of Connor’s and always seemed to be excited by Connor’s presence. Of course, Josh had a similar reaction to all androids after peace was made.

 

Connor’s smile remained as he spoke, “No, I am still quite happy at the DPD. Is Markus available?”

 

“Yes, I’ll transfer you to his personal computer. It’s a pleasure to see you again, Connor.”

 

Connor didn’t have a chance to reply before the screen went blank for a few seconds before reappearing with Markus’s face.

 

“Connor. It’s great to see you,” Markus said with a smile.

 

Connor couldn’t help but smile too. He had missed his friend. “Markus. I trust you’re in good health.”

 

“I’ve never been better. And you, my friend?”

 

Connor paused before answering the question. “I’ve been noticing an odd set of symptoms I’ve been having in response to an individual.”

 

Markus raised an eyebrow and questioned, “Oh? What kind of symptoms?” He seemed genuinely curious about the situation.

 

“I have noticed a tightness and warmness in my chest after he says positive things to me. It almost feels painful on some occasions, as if my biocomponents are were malfunctioning. I find myself desiring to spend more time in his company and figure out the odd behavior he’s been displaying.” As Connor spoke, a grin spread on Markus’s face wider and wider the longer he spoke.

 

Markus’s voice was light, “Connor, have we ever spoke about being in love?”

 

All the thirium drained from Connor’s face.


	6. Flowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry I didn't post yesterday! I know I suck, but I made this chapter extra long to try and make up for it. Let me know if there are any errors, I am admittedly horrible at grammar. 
> 
> Thank you so much for all the comments and kudos!!! They inspire me to keep writing!

Connor was completely still as he let the words wash over him. He knew he experienced love for Hank and Sumo, but his feelings for Gavin were different in a way he could not quantify.

 

Markus must have sensed his confusion because he quickly spoke, “You might not be in love now, but it seems like you are experiencing a strong romantic attraction toward this person. Do you exhibit concern for their person? So much so that you get may be focused entirely on them. Are you experiencing any quickly altering moods, from extreme happiness to almost despair?

 

Connor remained silent, still trying to come to terms with that name for his feelings. Markus was right though. Even before Gavin apologized the previous day, Connor’s thoughts had been filled with Gavin, wondering if he was ok or what his interests were. Connor convinced himself that he thought of Gavin as a puzzle, just trying to decode him, when in reality he liked him. He couldn’t deny that there was something pleasing in Gavin’s figure, even by just being around him, Connor felt an urge to press his synthetic hand against the other man’s to map out the plains of his body. Connor had suppressed these feelings, not even trying to identify them or what they meant before forcing them from his mind.

 

Markus remained silently looking at Connor through the computer, watching the different emotions flit from Connor’s face. His face did show mild amusement as he must have imagined the thought’s running through the conflicted android’s processor.

 

Connor had finally come to terms with what was happening. He had feelings for Gavin. He liked being in the detective’s presence and wanted to spend time with him. Even more alarmingly, he wanted to touch him. Everywhere.

 

“How can I proceed?” Connor said without realizing that he had just spoken.

 

“I assume it is a human that you are interested in?” At Connor’s terse nod, Markus continued, “There are a number of options to choose from. You can continue to suppress your emotions and try to maintain an amicable relationship, though it is not known how a deviant would deal with this as there are not any recorded cases of one that attempted to do so. Another strategy is to tell the person how you feel. There is a chance that they could return your feelings or if they did not, you could move past it.”

 

Connor did not like these two options and told Markus as much with his frown.

 

“You could always attempt to use the human practice of courting.”

 

Connor tilted his head at this and asked, “What would this achieve?”

 

Markus did not seem especially confident in his words, “I am not sure. Humans use it to secure romantic feelings toward each other. Sometimes to make someone feel strong feelings for another.”

 

“Thank you, Markus. You have been an immense help to me,” Connor said sincerely with a determined glint in his eyes.

 

Markus’s smile spread across his face. “Of course, Connor, anytime. Please tell me how this ends up for you,” he spoke warmly before the screen returned to black.

 

Connor thought carefully. He had a lot of research to do tonight.

 

………………………………………………………………

 

By 8 AM when Hank was starting to sleepily climb down the stairs, Connor had already had created a list of his objectives. It was created from Connor’s mass studying of romance novels, pop culture relationships, and magazine articles

 

  1. Make Gavin realize he is important 
  2. Compliment him often
  3. Offer to get lunch together
  4. Go out after work together
  5. Kiss him



 

With these steps, Gavin should recognize Connor’s feelings and hopefully return him.

 

Hank sat at the table in the kitchen next to Connor and the slobbering dog. Connor had a mug of coffee our for the both and two plates of toast. Hank had gotten used to these events and quickly tucked into the still warm food.

 

“Good morning, Hank. I trust you slept well,” Connor began, hoping to build a conversation.

 

Hank simply grunted, “Fine.” Connor waited a few minutes for Hank to speak again.

 

“How was the homicide last night? There was no fucking way I was getting up for that hit and run shit.” Hank spoke crudely but there was a curiosity in his voice.

 

Connor figured that this was now an appropriate time to bring up his almost injury and recent discoveries. “We found the suspect in the shed behind the house. He was attempting to shoot me when Detective Reed pushed me down. We are going to question him today.”

 

Hank looked up suddenly at this and put down his coffee. “What. The. Fuck.” The curt words were spat from his mouth. “Jesus, Connor, I leave you alone for one case and you manage to almost get shot?!”

 

“But I was not injured.”

 

Hank did not find this comment useful and glared at Connor. He finally sighed, “I’m not going to fucking let this go. And if you ever get hurt on a case, you’ll have to answer to me, OK?”

 

“Yes. Your concern is noted and appreciated,” Connor replied.

 

At this Hank grumbled something that sounded something like shut up. He slightly shifted the subject to Gavin. “So, Reed pushed you out of the way? Guess there is some use for that asshole.”

 

Connor suddenly had a dreadful feeling. Hank hated Gavin. He would not approve of Connor’s feelings. He had planned to tell Hank this morning about his discovery that early morning and to ask for advice, but Connor felt that Hank might not be so forthcoming with approval or advice if he knew the object of Connor’s affections. He made the executive decision to leave out Gavin’s name from his query. He felt bad for lying to Hank, but Connor wanted Hank to respect him and like his choice.

 

“Hank.” Connor waited for the man to look up at him. Hank wasn’t perturbed by the lack of answer but just looked up tiredly, a small frown still on his face from their earlier conversation.

 

“I am having some difficulties dealing with a new emotion and I was wondering if you could be of some assistance,” Connor spoke plainly but vaguely, trying to open Hank up to the idea of his request. He had learned that many humans appreciated a ‘warning’ sentence instead of speaking abruptly.

 

Hank got up to put his dirty plate, now lacking toast in the sink. He spoke loudly to make sure that Connor could hear him with his back turned, “Yeah, sure, kid, what’s on your mind?”

 

Connor didn’t speak until Hank sat back in front of him with a new cup of coffee. He couldn’t help but have a sense of worry about telling Hank. He knew this must have to do with his desire to please Hank and to make him proud. Another emotion that Connor had discovered, and it was one that he never thought he would feel. But Hank treated him like a son and Connor treated him like a father, so it made sense for those typical emotions to be present.

 

“I believe I may have romantic feelings for someone,” Connor spoke quickly trying to gauge the man’s reaction.

 

Hank frowned, “You mean you like someone? Like actually like them?” Hank seemed confused. Like Connor previously did, Hank probably didn’t even know if Connor was capable of those feelings.

 

“I… Yes. I do. Do you have any advice? They are a human.”

 

Connor was shocked by what happened next. Hank was laughing. Possibly harder than he ever had before. The deep throaty laughter echoed in the kitchen. Connor was quickly trying to decide if this was a positive development.

 

When Hank finally stopped laughing as hard, his voice was light, “Well shit Connor, you don’t do anything halfway. And boy do I have advice for you!”

 

Connor immediately felt scared at that.

 

………………………………………………

 

Gavin was slowly getting ready for work. Apparently throwing your body full force at an android was something that left you sore. Every now and again, Nico would but his head against Gavin’s stationary hands, demanding more attention before being left for the day.

 

He was dreading work. He didn’t want to interrogate this asshole and deal with everyone’s shit today. Gavin’s also had a feeling that today was going to be a paperwork day. No one talked about the paperwork when you want to be a cop but now it felt that’s what he spent half of his time doing.

 

There was one part of his workday that he was looking forward to. Connor. Things have been looking up in there relationship and Gavin was admittedly excited to work and spend more time with him. Gavin chose not to examine these feelings too closely. He knew all too well what happened when you got too close to people. They would either leave or force you out.

 

A loud meow broke him from his thoughts. Gavin was immediately thankful that Nico would never abandon him.

 

“Not that anyone would want you, oddball,” he spoke quietly to the purring feline.

 

Reluctantly getting up and leaving Nico to his breakfast, he quickly left his apartment, grabbing his customary leather jacket and locking the door behind him

 

The drive to work was uneventful. It wasn’t snowing now but it was supposed to later in the day and Gavin could tell as much from the dark grey sky. Pulling into his parking spot, he noticed that the parking lot was mostly empty. Gavin made it a habit to arrive early to start immediately on his work. He also liked the office a lot better when there were fewer people in.

 

Quickly making his way to his desk, he started up his computer on his mostly bare desk. Many of the other officers had trinkets or pictures on their desk to show it was theirs. Gavin kept his station clean and empty, more as protection to himself than anything else. He thought about bringing things before. A picture of Nico or a nice mug, but never did. He didn’t need his co-workers asking about his life or lack of. He knew that most of the other officers would probably find Gavin pathetic if all he loved was his cat and cookie dough ice cream.

 

Typing for about ten minutes, he stopped when there was a shadow over his desk.

 

Looking up he saw Connor. The android was looking down at him with a smile on his face. Gavin had no clue what he had done to warrant that smile but found he wanted to keep doing it. His smile was electric and made Gavin even start to curl his lips up.

 

“Good morning, Connor. Can I help you?” He spoke playfully. A quick glance around the precinct told him that Hank was absent. Gavin was happy and upset about this. He was glad that Hank wasn’t here to threaten him after talking to Connor but was worried about Connor. He knew he rode with Hank to work and he didn’t know if Connor was walking in the cold to work or to the crime scene last night.

 

“Hey if you need a ride anywhere, let me know. I seriously don’t mind,” Gavin shot out before Connor could even answer his first question.

 

Connor looked perplexed at this and stated as much, “I am thankful for the offer, Detective, but why are you offering?”

 

Gavin blushed. “I said to call me Gavin and I… Uh, I know you can get cold now… And you get a ride from Hank, so I just… Don’t want you to get cold,” Gavin spoke embarrassedly. The last part was little but a mumble, but of course, Connor hear him.

 

This answer seemed to make him even happier and his cheeks even looked… blue? Gavin guessed this was the android’s way of blushing.

 

“Thank you, Gavin. I have not been getting cold as I use either taxis or the public transformation to go places, but I truly appreciate the offer and will certainly take you up on it.” Connor still seemed ecstatic, but Gavin was mentally berating himself. Of course, Connor was using the bus and taking taxis. Gavin felt like an idiot for thinking that Connor was walking everywhere.

 

In the middle of Gavin’s internal mental breakdown, Connor placed something on his desk. His thoughts disappeared as he tried to identify what was just placed on his desk.

 

Connor must have read his mind because he started to answer Gavin’s thoughts. “It’s Phalaenopsis bloom or more commonly known as a moth orchid. I noticed you did not have many keepsakes on your desk as many of the other officers do and thought you appreciate it. It is a token of our budding relationship.”

 

Gavin turned bright red at the words ‘budding relationship.’ Gavin wouldn’t even let himself think about what those words meant to him, but simply excused Connor for realizing the connotation of his words.

 

The plant was gorgeous for being in the dead of winter. It was small enough to tote around but big enough to be noticeable to others. It being an orchid meant that it was tall and dainty. What Gavin liked the most about it was that is was the purest of white on the petals, but towards the stem, the veins of the flower were bright blue, the exact color of Connor’s LED

 

Gavin loved it. More than he cared to admit.

 

“I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Connor. Thank you so much.”  Gavin was practically speechless. He had been working at the DPD for almost ten years and none of his other coworkers had taken the initiative that Connor had after less than a week of being back. Gavin was truly touched.

 

An unfamiliar feeling settled in his stomach as he watched Connor go to his own desk, with a smile still on his face.

 

The feeling was like a combination of slightly being nauseous nervous and happy. Gavin wasn’t sure he had ever felt something like this so strong in his life but was human enough to know what this meant

 

Oh, fuck he liked Connor.


	7. Human

Gavin had been struggling with his epiphany all morning. He barely even noticed when Hank Anderson had sneered at him on his way to his desk. He did notice Hank staring at the new flower on his desk though. The lieutenant’s face was completely scrunched as if he had just sucked on a lemon and then was told ending for his favorite tv show.

 

Gavin’s first response was to smirk, then it was to panic. There was not a single chance that he would ever be with Connor in any romantic aspect, the android was probably just new at making friends. Even if that never happened, Gavin knew there was a chance that Hank would find out, because as much as he hated to admit he was good at his job. He couldn’t even fathom the comments and gloating that he would get from the older man.

 

These kinds of thoughts puzzled Gavin all morning until he saw a familiar face in front of his desk again. It was like a sense of déjà vu came over him, and it took everything for Gavin to not blush.

 

“Is now a good time to interrogate the perpetrator, D-Gavin?” Connor asked only once stumbling over his words.

 

Gavin smiled at the slight stutter trying desperately not to think about how adorable it was. It made him happy that Connor had put in so much effort into calling him by his first name. 

 

“Of course, Connor,” Gavin paused and gave special emphasis on Connor’s name. “We can head that way.”

 

Connor’s cheeks were tinged blue and left, obviously expecting the detective to follow him. And follow is what Gavin did while trying to inconspicuously stare at Connor’s ass. He must have failed because he heard someone clearing his throat behind them.

 

It was Anderson. Of course, it was Anderson, making sure that his darling android didn’t need protection from the snarky detective.

 

“Do you need some help, Connor?” Hank said only looking at the other, not even paying attention to Reed’s indignant look.

 

“No, Hank I believe we be OK on our own,” Connor spoke easily and amusedly? That was odd.

 

Connor must have noticed Gavin’s look because after the older man grumbled and went back to his seat, He made sure to walk beside him.

 

“The lieutenant is simply worried about me after the near accident last night,” Connor said as if that explained everything.

 

“So, he hates me for trying to save you?

 

Connor paused his words and his steps as they reached the door. “He doesn’t hate you,” Connor began. At this Gavin’s eyebrows rose and fixed him with an incredulous look. Connor fixed Gavin with a stare that dared him to question him. “He simply hasn’t warmed up to you yet.”

 

Gavin wasn’t expecting Connor to say that at all. A quick snort escaped from him as he was reaching up to unlock the door with his palm.

 

“OK, sure, Connor. Let’s just get this over with,” Gavin said with a roll of his eyes. They both picked up identical files and started to read. Gavin mostly skimmed the documents. The name is Jack Brown, age 48, got let off 6 years ago, red ice addict, and known android hater. He glanced up at the man through the glass, he was sweaty and looking around angrily. It looked like the very beginning of withdrawal symptoms were starting to set in. They better try to get a confession before everything goes to shit.

 

“Hey Connor,” as the android looked up at him he noticed the sad frown. “I’m going in there to start the interrogation, you stay here. He might be more willing to confess to a human.”

 

Connor nodded with the same expression. Gavin’s chest felt tight. He wanted more than anything to go over to Connor and comfort him, tell him that there were bigoted assholes but there were people who loved Connor. Instead, he just gave Connor a sad smile.

 

He was going to tear this fucker apart.

 

……………………………………………………………………

 

Connor didn’t understand why humans were so intolerant when they were the ones who had been fighting it for years. It seemed like humans had been working their whole existence to seem equal to each other. Connor thought this was disheartening for his future, but maybe in 100 years, his people would be truly treated as equals. Even though the president and the Senate had supported the new amendment making androids equal to humans, nobody seemed to take it seriously. In fact, many androids were still being discriminated against, to the point that there was a surge in android deaths.

 

Connor’s eyes flew up as he saw Gavin cockily enter the room and throw back the chair to loftily sit on it.

 

“Well, well, well Mr. Brown, it seems you’re in quite a bit of a pickle,” Gavin’s smug voice carried over the speaker into the adjoining room where Connor sat. Whenever he heard this voice from Gavin, he had been on the receiving end of it, so it was odd to hear it directed at someone else.

 

“Fuck. You,” a low voice ground out as the sweaty figure of the man glared daggers into Gavin.

 

Gavin gave a fake scoff. “Well now don’t be upset Mr. Miller, it's not like you didn’t attempt to kill an officer while on the scene of a murder? Oh, wait you did. Got any explanations for that?” Gavin’s voice was silky, but the words were harsh, and Connor found himself trying to strain to hear every detail from his voice. It was… alarmingly addictive to hear. He loved how humble Gavin had been but there was something so electric about his confident persona.

 

“You call that fucking thing an officer? More like a sack of shit.”

 

The air in the room suddenly shifted and Connor could feel it all from the small office. Gavin’s smirk was gone, and both his teeth and fists were clenched.

 

“Look, Fuckwad,” The words were spoken through his teeth. “You can either tell me what happened, or I can leave you to rot in this hellhole with nothing but rotting bread to eat for the rest of your miserable life. So, cut the shit and tell me what happened!” This last part was yelled loudly. Connor was a little surprised by this. But also touched. Gavin cared enough about androids, about Connor, to stick up for him to a stranger that would likely never change his mind. The tight feeling returned in his chest and was glad that he knew what it was now.

 

The man started to laugh, which made him look half crazed in his condition. Gavin gave a loud sigh and exited the room. Connor looked at the door expectantly, waiting for him to enter again.

 

“I-I’m sorry, Connor. That usually does work most of the time. You don’t have to go in there if you don’t want to, I understand,” Gavin said this while looking down, seeming… ashamed?

 

“It is of no problem, Gavin. I understand that some perpetrators need a unique approach. I will do my best to get the confession. Thank you for trying.” Connor said trying to ease whatever hurt Gavin was feeling.

 

Gavin looked thankfully and hopefully into Connors' eyes. As he walked through the outside door the door, Gavin’s voice called out to him, “Hey, Connor!” Quickly turning his head to the detective, he saw his smirk returned. “Give’m hell.”

 

That was exactly what Connor had planned to do.

 

…………………………………………………………………….

 

Gavin sat nervously watching the interactions between this asshole and Connor. Even with handcuffs on, he couldn’t help but fear that the man could hurt Connor. Gavin had no idea what he would do if Connor was hurt and that’s what scared him. He was so used to being in control over everything, especially himself, but being with Connor made him feel unpredictable.

 

He watched as Connor took a seat gracefully and sat down with the file. The suspect didn’t even look up to see who it was.

 

“Hello, Mr. Brown. I’d like to ask you a few questions,” Connor said with every semblance of politeness.

 

The man finally looked up, immediately catching Connor’s blue LED. “Ha! They sent a fucking android, now we know the case will never get solved.” The man sneered some more and grimaced at Connor’s face.

 

“Mr. Brown, I understand that you lost your manufacturing job in July of 2032 and later became addicted to red ice. Is this correct?” Connor’s voice remained the same, almost with an air artificiality.

 

Brown got angry at this, shoving his hands up before they caught on the steel cuffs. “Shut your goddamn mouth,” He spat.

 

Connor continued unperturbed. “How does one who cannot perform a simple job start to kill androids? Is it because we are better than you at every possible thing?”

 

Gavin started to pick up on Connor’s strategy. It was a stupid one that could get him killed but was overall smart. If Connor used his android status to get Brown mad enough, he might just let something slip.

 

Brown was practically seething at this, “Shut the fuck up! Shut the fuck up, or I’ll fucking kill you!”

 

Connor pretended to look thoughtful, “But Mr. Brown, you even failed at that. What kind of man is pathetic enough to feel the need to kill others to prove his dominance. It’s sad honestly.”

 

“I didn’t kill others! You’re not human, you’ll never be human! And that piece of shit I killed wasn’t human either.” The man was screaming, but at least his voice was clear enough through the recording, allowing Gavin to hear what he said.

 

He ached for Connor and the words that were spoken but let out a whoop in realizing that they had their confession.

 

“That will be all, Mr. Brown,” Connor spoke as he got up from the table and walked to the door.

 

Brown quickly realized what he had done wrong and started to scream profanities on the top of his lungs at Connor and yanked on the chain as hard as possible.

 

Gavin let out a sigh of relief when Connor came into sight and closed the door behind him. Gavin turned off the volume and turned all his attention to the android.

 

“Hey. Are you ok? You know you’re human and no fucker can take that away from you, right?” Gavin was worried about Connor who was currently frowning with a yellow LED. It snapped to blue as he met Gavin’s eyes.

 

“Thank you, Gavin.” He started to leave but Gavin knew that he had to say something else.

 

“Hey, can you eat things? Like food? I mean I’ve heard about some androids being able to eat now and I was just wondering if you were one? Sorry if that’s weird,” Gavin rambled, somewhat hurriedly.

 

Connor raised a single eyebrow and turned back towards Gavin. “Yes, I can eat. I have been trying to experiment with new flavors.”

 

“You want to go grab a bite to eat? There’s a great Vietnamese place around the corner? You’ve probably never had anything like it. But its good I promise!” Gavin rushed the words out before properly thinking it through. Was he seriously asking him out? What if Connor said no? Why would he-

 

“Yes. I would love to go.” Gavin’s heart leaped out of his chest at this. He was so fucked.

 

…………………………………………………

 

  1. ~~Give Gavin a small gift.~~
  2. Compliment him often
  3. ~~Offer to get lunch together.~~
  4. Go out after work together
  5. Kiss him



 

Well, close enough, Connor thought


	8. Bun Bo Hue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone for all your comments and kudos!!! I loved writing this chapter and think of this as their first unofficial date!!!  
> If there are any spelling errors, please let me know!!

They stayed quiet as Gavin drove the short distance to the café. It was small, and you wouldn’t be able to tell that it was an eating establishment at first glance. Connor trusted Gavin not to lead him into a bad situation though.

 

Connor followed him to a booth near the back of the well-lit place. All the waitresses and waiters that had seen them on the way in smiled brightly at Gavin. Some even waved.  Connor didn’t know how to feel about that and thought he should’ve felt happy that so many people knew Gavin but instead he felt wary of the people.

 

“Do you come here a lot, Detective?” Connor asked, immediately realizing that he slipped back into his habit of calling the other man by his title.

 

But Gavin just smiled, “Call me Gavin, dipshit or I won’t tell you what’s good. And yeah, I try to usually hit this place once a week.” Connor smiled in response to this.

 

“So, have you tried a bunch of new foods yet? If I were you I’d be sticking everything in my mouth. I mean, uh.” Gavin’s cheeks were ferociously red, but Connor found the statement endearing.

 

“I have been attempting to try many new things. I was upgraded to tasting and eating almost a month ago, but I have found that Lieutenant Anderson does not like to stray far from his comfort zone.” Connor said truthfully. Gavin let out a short chuckle and he was glad to have made the man laugh.

 

“What have you been eating? Let me rephrase that, what’s the most exotic thing you’ve eaten?” Gavin asked still smiling.

 

Connor thought hard about this. There wasn’t much he could do when trying to persuade Hank to eat something new or different as the man was stuck in his habits and no amount of pleading would get him out of it.

 

“I believe vegetable pizza has been the most interesting thing I have eaten so far. I enjoy the variety of flavors and the texture of vegetables, but Hank does not seem to share this same appreciation,” Connor said with a frown as if he was confused about why the man could ever hate vegetables.

 

Gavin couldn’t help but laugh some more at this. Connor shared his smile widely. “Well, we’ll be sure to rectify that, huh?”

 

Connor felt happiness at the question. This meant that Gavin intended to go out with him again. Hank had informed him that this was an integral part of the courtship process. Although Hank had demanded that Connor stop calling it ‘courtship’ because it sounded like “a 17th-century arrangement.” Connor thought courtship was the perfect term for what he was trying to achieve. He learned that it wasn’t really dating because Gavin didn’t have feelings for him yet, but hopefully, through their continued contact, Gavin would start to like him in a romantic sense. Connor also had to accept that there was a chance that Gavin would never return his feelings, but he tried not to think about that outcome too much.

 

The waitress came up to their table with a notepad. She was wearing a black button-down with black slacks, she smiled particularly wide at Gavin. “Well, hello, Detective, fancy seeing you again, “She said happily. Gavin just snorted and rolled his eyes.

 

This whole encounter made Connor feel sick. Gavin only smiled at Connor like that, no one else. But they hadn’t been talking for long, maybe Gavin was this way to a lot of people and Connor wasn’t special at all.

 

“Connor?” Gavin was looking worriedly at him when he met his eyes.

 

Connor now saw that the waitress was also staring at him. “Yes?” he asked.

 

“You weren’t responding, she just wants to know if what you want to eat and drink,” Gavin was still frowning at Connor as he spoke.

 

Connor now belatedly realized that he did not spend much time looking at the menu but talking and looking at Gavin. He was sure that his cheeks were blue from embarrassment. “I’ll have the same thing he’s having.” The waitress wrote this down and filled their glasses with water, but Gavin was now fixing him with a wide-eyed look.

 

“Are you sure you want to try that Connor? It’s pretty spicy,” he said cautiously like he couldn’t believe what Connor just said.

 

“It should be perfectly sufficient, Gavin. I have not yet had the opportunity to have spicy food and I am looking forward to it,” Connor said trying to sound like he already had those words planned out.

 

“Um, OK, sure, I was just warning you.”

 

“Your concern is greatly appreciated.”

 

Gavin’s face turned red again. Connor thought it was odd how many times he had managed to turn red so far. Gavin must get embarrassed easily.

 

“So… Do you have any interests, Connor?” Gavin asked and physically winced after saying it.

 

“Interests?” Connor was excited. Gavin wanted to talk more, and Hank said this was always a good thing. The other person should be curious enough about you to ask questions and feel comfortable enough to answer them.

 

Gavin tried to appear nonchalant. “Oh, you know, things you like doing, things that draw your attention or want to study more. That sort of thing.”

 

Connor blurted out the first thing that came to his processor before even thinking about what it was. “I like dogs.” It was said matter-of-factly and Gavin laughed right after he said it.

 

“I just mean,” Connor stumble out, trying to backtrack. “Lieutenant Anderson has a dog. A St. Bernard. I particularly enjoy his presence and have felt so with many dogs that I encounter.”

 

Gavin must have thought this was particularly funny because he continued to laugh. “Oh God, Connor, that is the cutest thing I have ever heard. Of course, you like dogs, you’re practically an overgrown puppy yourself!” Gavin managed to say in between his laughter.

 

Connor was confused by this. How could he be a dog? He tilted his head slightly and frowned at the other man, but this just made him laugh harder. He would need to look into this meaning later on.

 

When Gavin finally stopped laughing, he sighed, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to confuse you. Trust me it’s a compliment. It just means you’re very enthusiastic about everything and eager to please.”

 

Oh well, that made sense, Connor supposed. 

 

“And if I am a dog, what animal are you then?” Connor asked the question because he was mostly curious himself about the answer.

 

Gavin snorted and said, “A cat, obviously.”

 

“Hm, I have never met a cat, could you try to explain their behavior?” Connor could have easily looked up common cat behavior, but he found himself wanting Gavin to explain it, even just to hear his voice.

 

“Well, my cat’s an asshole, but they’re moody, independent, curious, sometimes lazy, conscientious… Wow, guess I’m an asshole too.” Gavin spoke lightheartedly but there seemed to be some self-deprecating feelings behind his voice.

 

Connor was going to try and put #2 on the list into action, of course, that was more of an ongoing task. “Not at all, Gavin. These are positive traits too and I am sure you put them in a very worthy light. You should be proud to be a cat.”

 

Gavin looked away and mumbled a quick thanks. Connor thought that Gavin seemed to be uncomfortable with compliments. He was going to have to work on that.

 

“So, you have a cat then? I would love to meet him sometime.” Connor said this casually enough but was worried that the detective might find this too forward.

 

………………………………………………………………………………………

 

Gavin felt like his eyes were going to bug out of his skull. The conversation about their pets was innocent enough, and Gavin was pretty sure that Connor didn’t know how flirty he could be, so he tried to keep it casual. But asking to see Nico? Gavin felt his stomach do summersaults his heart beat faster. He knew that Connor couldn’t be interested in him in any romantic sense, but he knew it was going to be a lot harder to remain friends if their relationship kept progressing.

 

“I-uh, Yes, I have a cat. He’s super fucking weird and needy, but I love him all the same. I’m sure that he would like to meet you too,” Gavin said and couldn’t help but be truthful.

 

Connor smiled at this and his eyes crinkled a small bit. “How did you find yourself owning a cat?”

 

Gavin returned the smile and began the odd story. “Well, about 3 years ago, I heard this really loud low scream from outside my door at like 3 AM and I had no fucking clue what was happening, so I open up the door and it’s snowing outside and there’s this tiny cat almost blending in with the snow, screaming at the top of its lungs. So I let him in and he just never left.”

 

“Maybe I should have tried that tactic, then you would have warmed up to me faster.” Connor joked.

 

Gavin almost choked on his water but managed to respond with a clear voice. “Ha, fat chance that would have happened.”

 

The same waitress returned with their meal and set the dishes in front of them. “Enjoy,” she said and smiled before leaving them alone again.

 

Gavin deeply breathed in the steam coming off his dish. He had been coming to this hole in the wall place for as long as he had been on the force and had been getting the same thing just as long. It was called Bun Bo Hue, but Gavin just knew that it made his mouth feel like was going to fall off while still warming his body on the cold days.

 

He failed to notice that Connor had already stuck in chopsticks into the bowl and lifted it out with a heaping scoop, just about to put it in his mouth. By the time he looked up, all he could see was Connor staring blankly, his mouth full of food and a yellow LED.

 

“Connor? Connor?! Hey, man, snap out it!” Gavin was starting to get frantic. He had no idea what foods androids could and couldn’t eat. Maybe the spicy food was too much for Connor to process. What if-

 

Connor’s gaze snapped up and met Gavin’s. As he chewed and quickly swallowed the food, he only had one thing to say. “This is delicious.” And gave a bright big smile before resuming eating.

 

He was going to give Gavin a heart attack.


	9. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say I am so so so so so sorry for the delay!!! You cannot believe how horrible I feel about it. I've had about half this chapter done since Friday, but I wanted to make it extra long because of how long it been. I'll give you a list of my reasons for not updating on these days and you probably don't care, but here it is:  
> Thursday: I found a 200K fanfiction after getting off work at 5 pm. I read and it had a very shitty ending. My fault there.  
> Friday: Again worked until 5 pm and then drove 2.5 hours to my parent's house from my apartment. After this, I passed out  
> Saturday: After my mom surprised me with a massage, (thanks mom) I went to an estate sale and bought a bedroom set and then had to move all the furniture. I am smol and weak.  
> Sunday: I was violently ill and was either vomiting or sleeping. It wasn't fun.  
> So yeah, there you have it. Doesn't excuse it, but I hope you guys forgive me. This one is about the length of 3 chapters instead of one.

The last two weeks have been the best that Gavin had ever had. Connor and him had kept up their lunch tradition and seemed to be trying every available restaurant on this side of Detroit. Some of the places were a little extreme for Gain, but he couldn’t say no to Connor’s shining eyes and happy smiles. Yesterday they even had kind of scorpion that Connor also deemed delicious and Gavin vehemently denied to eat. But once Connor turned those big brown earnest eyes on him, he grudgingly at the bug. And yeah, it was pretty good.

 

Their continued exploration and experimentation made Gavin feel like he was 10 years younger. His smiles came easier and their were less frowns on his face. He knew exactly what this means but was still desperately denying it Gavin knew that the minute he accepted his feelings for Connor, he would be miserable and do something rash to ruin their friendship. This unrequited love would make him feel like a sword was stabbing his heart every time Connor met him with a small smile or laughed at Nico’s antics. And he knew this was because he would never find anyone as perfect for him as Connor.

 

His tactic was to avoid any thoughts about feelings or a semblance of emotion because he knew he couldn’t take the rejection. Not yet.

 

What he did allow himself to think about was the many things he learned about Connor. He was fan of any animal, to just dogs, and could make them love him in a matter of minutes. He was currently trying to learn the ‘language of plants’, which Gavin thought was stupid at first, grew to appreciate it. Connor said that plants were amazing because of their resilience, beauty, and ability to speak when words failed. How could Gavin think it dumb with an explanation like that?

 

It was Friday afternoon and Connor and Gavin had just returned from another lunch, this time it was Italian, which was one of Gavin’s and Connor’s favorite types of food. Well, that was until Connor ordered the calamari.

 

“I don’t care if it was amazing, Connor, I’ve told you, I don’t eat anything that lived in water,” his tone was playful though, knowing that eventually, Connor would force some seafood into his mouth one day.

 

Connor rolled his eyes. Actually rolled his eyes at Gavin! “The squid was fried, Gavin, there was no way you would have tasted a lasting flavor from the ocean,” Connor replied evenly.

 

Gavin knew this might be true but chose to continue his dramatic act. “Sure, sure, that might be it or maybe you’re still holding out on seeing me vomit at one of these places. How could you?”

 

Connor laughed out loud at this and said a quick goodbye to Gavin before sitting at his desk and getting straight to work. Gavin stayed walking and bypassed his desk to get a cup of coffee from the break room.

 

As he entered the room, he was still smiling from his and Connor’s conversation and didn’t see a quiet figure in the corner.

 

“What the fuck do you think you’re playing at, Reed?” The voice was quiet but spoken harshly.

 

Gavin spun around but knew who said it before he even saw their face.

 

Lieutenant Anderson was glaring at Gavin harder than he had ever seen before. The pure anger on his face spoke volumes, and he knew that he should tread lightly if he wanted to survive this interaction.

 

“Hello, Anderson. What can I help you with?” The words were spoken a little more smugly than he intended, but Gavin stood his ground.

 

“You slimy piece of shit! I don’t know what you’re trying to play at but you leave Connor out of it!” Hank had stood and was slowly walking toward him. Gavin was not entirely sure where this conversation was going.

 

His brows pinched together as he said, “Connor? What about Connor?”

 

Hank just got even madder at this, his face starting to turn red, “You know damn well that the boy’s got feelings for you and you’re just leading him on! If you keep leading him on like you are, I will end you. Painfully.” With these last words, Hank exited the empty break room.

 

The words that Anderson had just said were echoing through Gavin’s ears. Feelings for him? Did Hank really think that Connor had feelings for him? A flutter of hope danced across Gavin’s chest but he quickly squashed it down.

 

Connor just thought of him as a friend. Even he got confused at the signs sometimes Connor gave him but he just had to keep reminding himself that he was new to human experiences and that he didn’t know if something was more romantic or not. Gavin didn’t even have the heart to tell Connor to stop calling their friendship a relationship. At this rate, he was going to heart palpations before he was 30.

 

Gavin knew that the lieutenant thought of Connor like a son and was very protective. He felt stupid for thinking that their constant lunches and conversations would go unnoticed by the older man, but he couldn’t help but feel like he wanted more time before this all came crashing down around them.

 

No matter what Anderson said, Gavin was going to keep being his friend, but he knew that Connor took Anderson’s opinions to heart, so it wouldn’t be long before Connor left him in the dust.

 

Gavin tried not to think about it too much as the sadness immediately overtook him. He needed to leave, he couldn’t stand to see Connor looking over and smile at him when he knew that those happy looks were going to stop soon.

 

Gavin walked quickly back to his desk to grab his coat before completely fleeing the precinct.

 

But Connor was faster because his long strides put him at the detective’s desk before he even got there.

 

“Hey, Connor,” Gavin forced a smile. “I don’t think lunch agreed with me, I think I’m going to work from home for the rest of the day.”

 

Connor’s face quickly morphed into a concerned one. “Oh, Ok. Do you need me to drive you home?”

 

Gavin kept looking at Connor’s eyes and just wanted to stay in this moment forever, where he could pretend that Connor was concerned for reasons other than their friendship.

 

“Uh no that’s ok, I’ll just see you tomorrow,” he said quickly and started to walk out. The soft warm hand of Connor’s gripped his before he even realized that the android was following him.

 

Connor’s sincere gaze was on his. “If you need anything at all, please call me. Please.”

 

Gavin didn’t know what else to do but nod dumbly along to what Connor said. His hand was released so fast, he almost forgot what it felt like to have Connor holding it. He moved quickly back to his desk and went immediately went back to work. Gavin's heart clenched painfully in his chest.

 

He walked through the icy air and wished he wasn’t alone.

 

…………………………………………………………………

 

Connor couldn’t stop frowning. Every time he tried to clear his expression, his thoughts would drift back to Gavin and he would feel his frown start to materialize again. He didn’t understand what was wrong with the detective. He had been exceptionally normal throughout their lunch and even after, but after going to the break room he just seemed off. His heart rate was a little fast, but Connor had grown accustomed to the slightly high rhythm. Connor had even been meaning to ask him if he had any heart conditions.

 

His face wasn’t pale and from here he touched his hand, the Detective wasn’t too warm. But something was obviously bothering Gavin.

 

To make matters worse, Hank had also stated notice his concerned behavior. Almost 30 minutes before their shift was over, Connor was looking over to Gavin’s empty spot yet again. On most afternoons he could catch his eyes at least once and share a smile, but Connor never realized how much he missed doing it.

 

“Ok, what the hell’s wrong with you?” Hank grumbled out not unkindly. His face and voice was the picture of exasperation and Connor could tell that he had been working himself up to asking for the entire afternoon.

 

“Nothing is wrong. I am simply worried over Gav-Detective Reed’s absence,” Connor said trying to remain as emotionless as possible. He obviously failed because Hank just scoffed and fixed him with a look.

 

“You know, I’m not blind, Connor,” Hank spoke while looking at Connor with a face that he usually saved for interrogating criminals.

 

“I never implied you were.”

 

“Well, I couldn’t help but notice you spending a lot of time with Reed…. Despite you trying to ‘court’ some mystery man.”

 

Connor was frozen. He knew exactly where this conversation was heading. He knew at this point the only thing to do was try to explain himself an beg for forgiveness.

 

Connor took a deep breath despite not truly being able to breathe. The action still calmed him. “I have omitted the name of the subject of my desires as I knew that it would cause you stress.”

 

Hank sighed, his face going back to one of a concerned parent, “Jesus, Connor, I’m not stressed, but you have to know that Reed’s an asshole. Nothings going to change that.”

 

Connor thought for moment before responding. His immediate reaction was to argue with Hank about his answer. While many thought Gavin was an asshole, Connor learned that he did this as a defense mechanism as he did not want to become close with his coworkers only to see them die or be harmed. He also learned that Gavin possessed a lot of self-doubt for someone who behaved so cockily. This was because Gavin thinks no one truly finds him impressive or interesting when he acts like himself. Connor wanted to tell Hank all these things, to at least try to make him understand the deeper side of Gavin that Hank couldn’t see but didn’t. Instead he needed emotion instead of logic to win this argument.

 

“He is,” was Connor’s soft reply.

 

“What?”

 

“He is an asshole. But that doesn’t change the fact that I feel strongly towards him. Every time I see him, I feel happiness flood my processor. He makes me laugh and look at the human world through new eyes. His smiles make my thirium pump feel as though it is malfunctioning. For some reason I want to hold his hand and protect him from the cold winds. None of this is logical but its still the way I feel.”

 

Hank looked like he wanted to cry. Connor couldn’t determine if the look on his face was one of pride or sadness.

 

“Uh… Well, yeah… That sounds like love to me,” Hank grumbled before clearing his throat loudly.  His eyes were still misty and Connor was still worried that Hank was still upset. Hank was his friend and in his own mind, his father. He didn’t want to disappoint him in any way.

 

“How are you certain its love, Hank?” Connor asked quietly, frowning in concern for the older man.

 

Hank let how a low laugh, “You said illogical right?” At Connor’s nod, Hank smiled and continued, “Yeah, that’s love then.”

 

But Hanks face quickly morphed into one of guiltiness. “Hey, look, Connor, I might have said something to Reed to have made him leave early… I’m sorry. I just don’t think he’s as serious about this as you are.”

 

Connor did not blame Hank for this but felt are shooting pang of sadness in his chest. Enough courting, now he had to see if Gavin felt the same way.

 

“I’ll just have to find that out.”

 

………………………………………………………………………………

 

Gavin was truly living the high life. He was stretched out on his couch with Nico dozing on his feet. In one hand he had a glass with a few shots of whiskey and in the other he had a spoon for the ice cream in his lap. When he came home he had dug into his freezer and found his emergency carton of double chocolate chunk. The TV was on and streaming some sappy romance, that he was barely paying attention to. All he knew was that the description said ‘unrequited love’ which Gavin though was fitting. Some woman was crying hysterically, and he honestly thought it was annoying more than anything.

 

Thankfully, he hadn’t gotten to crying, but he could kind of start to feel the build-up of extra tears in his eyes and knew that it was probably going to start soon. Gavin hated crying with a vengeance. It showed weakness, even if was cathartic as fuck. He forced himself to keep any emotion he felt bundled until he could go home to cry in peace. He didn’t even cry at his parent’s funeral about 7 years ago, but he went home, locked the doors, and cried for 3 days straight.

 

Knock, knock, knock.

 

The three steady knocks scared Gavin, not expecting it in the near silence that had been present for the past few hours. Nico gave an unhappy growl, obviously not liking the way Gavin’s feet tensed with the noise. The full body flinch from the knocks, cause Gavin to slosh his whiskey but fortunately managed to keep it from spilling.

 

The rhythm of the tapping of the door was so uniform that Gavin just concluded it was a mail carrier drone with a package he forgot about. It goes away after knocking leaving the package, so he was content to go back to his pity party.

 

Knock, knock, knock.

 

Ok, Gavin thought, not a mail drone. Whoever it was, they sure were persistent and Gavin was in no mood for company.

 

“Go the fuck away!” the man slightly yelled from his couch. He couldn’t be troubled to yell properly and risk waking Nico. That cat was too fucking cute when he slept, and Gavin knew that the cat could sense his tears, licking his face until they started to fall.

 

“Gavin! It’s Connor! I need to speak to you!” The muffled voice carried through the door.

 

Gavin’s breath got caught in his chest. What was Connor doing here? He thought he would have at least a little more time before the final denouncement. Hank must have spoken to Connor and convinced him to just go through with it already.

 

He set down the whiskey and the ice cream and gently nudged Nico off of his bare feet onto an unclaimed spot on the couch.

 

Gavin walked quickly to the door and cracked it just enough to peak his eyes out and see Connor staring back at him as earnest as ever. Fuck.

 

He opened up the door wider, immediately berating himself for not changing out of his pajama shorts and shirt as Connor’s eyes climbed his body.

 

“Connor. What a surprise. Come in,” he kept his words short and sweet but tried to be open as he could in order not to offend the android. Even if he did come here to break his heart, he couldn’t stand putting the other in any pain.

 

Connor had a worried frown on his face the entire time. He seemed to just radiate anxiety. Gavin recognized this but didn’t put much thought into it all, just invited him into his home and sat on the edge of his couch, avoiding looking at Connor.

 

Gavin’s eye unwillingly glanced up when Connor gasped. But he wasn’t looking at Gavin. Connor was looking adoringly at Nico as if he was the most amazing thing ever.

 

Gavin briefly thought bitterly, why couldn’t he ever stare at me that way, but dismissed the thought. No point in being jealous of his cat.

 

“You must be Nico,” Connor spoke quietly to the long-eared cat, who just looked at him with curiosity. He presented his hand to the animal and waited until he was done sniffing the area of his hand, giving the softest huff of approvement. Despite this lackluster beginning, the minute Connor put his hands on the top of the gray and white speckled head, Nico started to purr. Connor had the widest grin on his face that Gavin had ever seen, and despite the circumstances, his heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster.

 

Connor brought his smile to Gavin. “He reminds me of you,” he said before returning his attention to the cat.

 

After about three minutes had passed of Gavin’s quiet contemplation and Connor’s adoration of Nico, Gavin broke the silence. “You wanted to speak to me?”

 

Connor looked almost shocked at this like he couldn’t even remember why he came here in the first place.

 

“Yes, sorry for the delay,” Connor said sheepishly, with the barest hints of blue coloring his cheeks. He took a seat on the couch, on the middle cushion, about two feet away from Gavin. He gave Nico space on his own cushion as the cat attempted to go back to sleep.

 

Gavin couldn’t help but drink the smile in, this might be his last time to see it.

 

“It’s fine, I think I know why you’re here anyway,” Gavin spoke with his head down. Might as well help him out.

 

“You do?”

 

“Yeah, and I understand,” Gavin said with a hard swallow after these were said, willing the tears to stay in his eyes.

 

“So you understand my feelings on the matter? I admit I was trying to make them obvious.”

 

Gavin felt completely stupid at that. Of course, Connor was trying to make his contempt obvious, but he just couldn’t take the hint and now they had to have this discussion. It made Gavin’s heart physically hurt.

 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll stay out of your way.” At these words, Connor’s anxiety shifted to sadness and his perfect forehead wrinkled at his frown.

 

“Oh. So, you do not reciprocate my feelings. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” The words seemed to greatly trouble Connor but Gavin was just confused by their meaning.

 

“Wait, what do you mean? Why would I reciprocate your feelings?” Gavin was just confused by the whole conversation but couldn’t help a flicker of hope build up in his chest.

 

Connor looked just as troubled. “I had sought advice from Hank and others in order to woo you. I thought that his might turn your feelings enough to hold affection for me. I’m sorry if I was wrong.”

 

Gavin couldn’t believe his ears. He was getting emotional whiplash from this conversation. First, he was trying to brace himself for heartbreak and now Connor says he was _wooing_ him?

 

“Wait you were trying to… woo me?”

 

“Yes, I thought you said you understood.”

 

“Um… I might have thought that you were coming to say that we could no longer be friends.” Gavin let out sheepishly, not wanting to admit how wrong he had been. Connor’s eyebrows shot up at this and he looked shocked at this.

 

“Why would you think that, Gavin? From my various research, I thought I was conducting in traditional romantic behavior. I got you flowers, to you to many restaurants, tried to compliment your talents often.” Connor said with a heartbroken look on his face.

 

Gavin quickly made sure to make up for this, “Hey, hey, no that was just me being an idiot, your behavior was perfectly acceptable.” He even reached a hand over to gently touch Connor’s arm. And his heartbeat dramatically increased.

 

“Does this mean you feel the same as I do?” Connor once again asked earnestly, no longer with the sad kicked puppy face.

 

Gavin resolutely told himself that he was not going to fuck this up again. “And how is it you feel for me?” Gavin spoke in almost a whisper, scared of what the answer could be.

 

Connor’s eyes dropped to his lap and his cheeks turned neon blue.

 

“I’m in love with you.”

 

Gavin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Never in a million years did he think this scenario would be possible. He heart was going faster than ever and his chest felt odd and tingly and even though he’s in his pajama’s on a Tuesday night with a muted love movie in the background, Gavin thinks this is the happiest he’s ever been.

 

“I’m in love with you too.”

 

Connor’s answering grin was blinding and he looked at Gavin with such care and affection, he was amazed that he had never seen it there before.

 

Gavin’s hands moved on their own, without him realizing what he was about to do. His hands grabbed firming onto the lapels of Connor’s suit jacket and dragged his mouth into a firm kiss. Connor sighed without hesitance and melted into the the detective's mouth.

 

Yes, Gavin thought, this is the happiest moment of my life.

..............................................

~~1\. Give Gavin a small gift.~~

~~2\. Compliment him often~~

~~3\. Offer to get lunch together.~~

~~4\. Go out after work together~~

~~5\. Kiss him~~

 

Connor couldn't be happier with his completed objectives. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has read and supported this, it truly means the world to me and encourages me to write so thank you!
> 
> There will be one small chapter after this but it will be an epilogue of sorts


	10. Afterwards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Gavin and Connor get to together and are dating, they face a little bit of a bump

Gavin couldn’t believe these last 3 days had passed so quickly. It seemed that ever since he and Connor shared that kiss (and many more after that) the time just seemed to blur. It was characterized by secret smiles and many aloof sounds from Lieutenant Anderson.

From what Gavin had gathered, the older man still wasn’t thrilled with the progression of their relationship but wasn’t going to say anything in order to avoid Connor’s big brown eyes. Those things could make serial killers roll in their grave. Whenever he saw Anderson at work the man frowned and gave him a nod but didn’t utter a word to him. He figured that would soon change.

Since that Tuesday, Connor would accompany Gavin back to his apartment where they would watch movies, talk, pet Nico, and admittedly make out. But no matter what, Connor would leave by 7 PM. Gavin wasn’t too thrilled with the curfew but knew that they needed to take this thing slow. That’s why last night in the middle of a very heated kiss, he asked Connor on a date.

Connor was taken aback by the question at first, tilting his head far enough back for Gavin to see the blue flush of his cheeks and the yellow blinking of his LED. But soon enough Connor’s LED returned to normal and he grinned at him happily while bobbing his head up and down. Gavin’s answering laugh had been enough for them to drop the words and go back to their more physical conversation. But the whole time Gavin was silently panicking about what to do.

That is why Thursday, while Connor was taking a cab home, Gavin called Anderson.

The gruff voice resonated after the 3rd ring, “Reed. Is something wrong with Connor?”

Gavin thought it was rather heartwarming that when receiving a call from the detective, his first thought was of Connor’s wellbeing.

“Uh, no he’s fine, should be back home to you in a few minutes,” Gavin’s voice was nervous. He really did want to make a good impression on Hank now especially since the man was the figurative father figure of his lover.

“Then what the hell do you want?” Hank said but not venomously. He sounded curious more than anything but the harsh threat of “don’t fuck with me or mine” still lingered in his voice.

“Look, I know you hate me, but I asked Connor out on a date for Friday night… I was just wondering if you had any advice?” Gavin didn’t have time to put on his cocky demeanor and then let Anderson slowly get the meaning of his call. He needed to be direct and he needed any help he could get.

There was a pause of silence, the older man probably deciding on what he was going to do and then a tired sigh. “Contrary to popular belief Reed, I don’t hate you. I just hate it when you’re an asshole. And I don’t know why Connor has decided to hitch himself to a smug motherfucker like yourself, but he claims its love. So I guess I can help… But the minute you start trying shit again, I will end you.”

Gavin mostly ignored everything after the word love. Yeah, there was some vaguely worded threat but there was also a reminder of Connor’s love for Gavin. Every time he heard it, it was like time had stopped and he felt the familiar whoosh of happiness flood his body.

“Ok, now listen good, Connor isn’t like some fancy private school boy you have to impress. He likes anything that’s done with emotion behind it. He loves animals for some damn reason and thinks flowers are romantic. Since his humanity’s still young, he’ll want to do anything that’s new for him. But you already knew all this, so I don’t know why you needed me to say it.”

As the older man’s voice spoke across the phone, Gavin was furiously writing everything down, until he heard Anderson’s last words. Why was he calling Hank?

“I may already know all this, but maybe I just needed a voice of reason.” Gavin tried to say sincerely.

He just hears mumbled ‘whatever’ across the line and then dial tone. It was safe to say that Gavin and the Lieutenant’s relationship was looking up.

Now Gavin just had to plan the best damn date ever.

…………………………………………….

Connor couldn’t believe how happy he had been these last few days. He had never realized what he had been lacking from his life until he realized that he was in love with Gavin. Connor thought it was strange that one person could hold so power in your life in the way of emotions. He did know this from his kinship with Hank, and it was their relationship that caused Connor to turn his back on Amanda and Cyberlife. He couldn’t help but feel that while his relationship with Hank was strong, there was a whole new side that he had yet to discover with Gavin.

Connor was pondering this as he was being driven across town in a cab on his way back home to Hank’s house. He did feel bad for the time that he was spending with Gavin that he used to spend with Hank, but besides the initial distaste, he seemed to be fine with the change. The only one who seemed to complain was Sumo, as the dog made sure to bark louder when Connor finally returned from Gavin’s apartment in the evening.

Besides this, his life just kept getting better and better. Gavin even wanted to go on a date with him. He knew that they were already ‘courting’ or as Gavin called it dating or together. Gavin had banned Connor from calling them ‘boyfriends’ or saying that they were ‘courting’ because “for god’s sake Connor, we’re adults and already in love.” The thought of Gavin saying those words with a smile but also an eye roll made him smile to himself.

As the self-driving car came to a stop, Connor saw the older man staring out the blinds, watching him exit the car. There was about a foot of snow on the ground and while Connor liked to look and play in the snow, now that he had his temperature sensors enabled, he realized he got cold easily. Connor couldn’t wait until it was Summer, and he could feel the heat of the sun on his skin like surface. He wanted to convince Hank or even Gavin to go with him to Lake Michigan to see the massive lake and swim there. When he first brought up the idea to Hank, he was vehemently against it. “No way in hell, Connor! It may be a lake, but the water is cold as fuck,” Connor remembered the serious inflection. Maybe Gavin would be more willing.

The door opened just as Connor was about to grab the handle and he saw Hank staring at him along with Sumo. Hank left the door and sat on the old couch to give him room to walk in the doorway. Connor had quickly shut the door behind him to keep the icy air out of the toasty living room. Sumo was very happy to see him and he sat on the couch next to Hank still petting the giant dog.

“Your new upgrades came in,” Hank tried to say nonchalantly, but failed as he was obviously excited for them as Connor had ordered them last week with him.

“Really? I thought that with such a high demand it would take longer,” Connor spoke as he picked up the small envelope from the table in front of him. Inside was a tablet containing the upgrade programs that he would need to download and install tonight while he was sleeping. There was also a sheet of paper with a proof of purchase and a description of each upgrade he had bought. He got a few basic ones that Hank thought he was stupid for getting like the common cold, longer healing times for small-scale abrasions or wounds, crying (he was one of the few models that weren’t equipped with this), and a sex drive. Connor had been a state of the art model and was expected to use any means necessary to achieve his goal, so Cyberlife had equipped him with… tools to do this. And while Connor could harden or soften himself at will, he was excited that now it could just happen if something excited him. Hank groaned about his one profusely but was excited for one update more than anything else.

“Metabolize alcohol like humans, heh fancy way of just saying you can get drunk now,” Hank looked over his shoulder and it didn’t surprise Connor that he only paid attention to his ‘drunk upgrade’ as most had taken to calling it.

“Well, unfortunately, we will not get to experiment with it until the weekend. Gavin and I have plans on Friday.”

“Ha, yeah, I know, your boy toy called me right after you left.”

Connor’s head whipped around to look at Hank, not even going to criticize Hank for calling Gavin his boy toy.

“He called you? I trust you were civil to him,” Connor said with almost a patronizing look in his eyes.

Hank made a big show of being affronted at Connor’s question. “I will have you know that we were even polite. How dare you tell me to be civil. In my own fucking house!” The words seemed harsh, but Hank’s amused tone made them seem almost warm to Connor.

He made this apparent to Hank in the form a thankful smile. Connor knew that his smile wasn’t just appreciation for Hank trying to put up with Gavin but for everything he had done for him. He even opened his home to the Android and gave him counsel. There really wasn’t anything that Hank wouldn’t do for his android son.

“If it appeases you, you can take me to Jimmy’s Bar Saturday night. You’ll buy of course,” Connor continued with the playful exchange.

Hank while happy about getting Connor drunk wasn’t all too happy about the prospect of paying. “And why the hell do you think I would be paying?”

“It’s simple, Hank. You’re a lieutenant. You get paid more.”

………………………………………………………

Gavin never knew if he had been this nervous before. He wasn’t even this nervous when taking his last criminology finals. Or doing field busts. Maybe this intense anxiety was reserved for Connor.

Nico had been following his movements for the last 5 hours. The cat patiently watching his frantic movements around the small apartment as he tried to make sure everything was perfect. He went home at lunch again today to prepare, though he told Fowler that his sudden ‘illness’ from Tuesday wasn’t fully gone. He thought he heard the captain mutter underneath his breath something about lovesick, but he let Gavin leave early anyway.

Gavin chose to take a note out of horrible romantic advice columns which somehow still existed. He had been cooking since the minute he got home, some simple baked chicken and vegetables. Surprisingly, Gavin was an ok cook, but he knew how important this date was and didn’t want anything going wrong, so he opted for simple. His apartment was spotless, and a nice tablecloth covered his small dining table. There were a few things he picked up last night at a grocery store while getting his ingredients. Candles, fancy flowers in a vase, and most embarrassingly, condoms. He had no idea if tonight was going to go that way, but he wanted to be prepared. In fact, Gavin wasn’t even sure if he needed condoms, because could androids give STD’s to humans or vice versa? Gavin didn’t think about it too much but just opted to be safe rather than sorry.

He was obviously sexually attracted to Connor but sometimes he worried that Connor wasn’t the same. Gavin was fine with not going past kissing for as long as they were together, but he wanted to be on the same page as Connor. He also wanted to know how much stock he was going to need to invest into Kleenex.

At this point, Gavin was picking at imaginary pieces of dust on his clothes. He had changed out of his customary leather jacket and jeans to seem like he had actually put in an effort. He wore a dark blue sweater and black jeans. Not too dressed up, but it was probably the nicest thing he had in his closet besides his long-standing ‘funeral suit.’ He even managed to keep Nico still long enough to push out any loose hairs, not wanting to stifle Connor with the usual cloud of cat hair over everything.

Now the long-eared cat had enough of being ignored and decided to climb onto Gavin’s shoulders. And while Gavin wasn’t the tallest man, it wasn’t any less painful. The cat used its claws and the fabric of Gavin’s clothes to propel itself onto the man’s shoulders.

Gavin wasn’t expected to be used as a climbing post and prayed to some higher being that cat hadn’t managed to make holes in his clothes.

While a long stream of profanities came out of his mouth directed at the cat still on his should and looking quite smug, the doorbell rang.

Gavin lunged towards the door dropping the dish towel from his hands and moving quickly to get the door. As he flung the door open Gavin saw the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

Connor was dressed plainly, having just came from work, but he was missing his usual suit jacket and tie, instead just wearing a button down and his trousers. He was also holding something in a brown bag.

“Gavin, could you please let me in?” Connor spoke hurriedly. It was only now that Gavin took in that Connor was visibly shaking and he was wearing very little clothes for the middle of winter.

“Oh shit, of course, get in here. What the fuck were you thinking of wearing that?” he said in a rush, worried more than anything.

“I had Hank deliver me to your house directly from work. I only had the opportunity to dress down. I am feeling more pleasant already.” Connor said this last sentence with an enamored smile. Gavin didn’t think he could fall in any more love with Connor, but every day his heart swelled with affection even more.

“Ok, dumbass, but don’t try that again. You know, I do see you at work every day, you don’t have to dress any differently.”

At this Connor’s cheeks flushed cyan and he looked bashfully at Gavin’s sock covered feet. “I understand that Gavin, I simply wished to look special for you.”

Jesus Christ, the android was going to give him heart palpations.

Now it was Gavin’s turn to blush brightly at what he just said. That was until Gavin’s eyes noticed what Connor was holding in his hand. It was a brown paper bag holding something… bottle shaped.

“Is that wine?” Gavin asked almost incredulously. He knew that androids could eat and drink, he had just never seen them drink alcohol, I mean what was the point when they couldn’t get drunk? Gavin just decided to write it off as Connor trying to experience a typical human date.

“Um… Yes, it is. I thought it would be appropriate.” Connor almost appeared nervous. Well, Gavin thought, that wouldn’t do at all.

He put his hand over the others, still clutching the bottle and moved in closer until his face was inches away from Connor’s.

“Its perfect.” The short sentence was finished by a chaste kiss, which Connor attempted to deepen. Gavin was just as willing until they were rudely interrupted by a shrilling alarm. Gavin just laughed once he was far enough away to see the annoyance that marred Connor’s usually happy face. “Go sit. Dinner’s ready,”

This night could never be ruined.

……………………………………………………………..

This night was going fucking insane.

Dinner was smooth enough. They talked about inane things and held hands across the table. Nico occasionally would make his presence known to the pair and would be occasional table scraps of chicken from Connor. Gavin gave him a disapproving look every time, but Connor could be dissuaded to stop. Finally, Nico had given up and retired to hide and sleep in Gavin’s closet.

They drank the wine throughout dinner, and Gavin had two glasses total. He had been hungover from wine before and he learned that you never drank more than two glasses if you wanted to see the sun the next day. Connor must have not gotten that memo because he drank like a man that was stranded in the desert.

By the end of dinner and a half hour long conversation at the table, the bottle was empty. Gavin got up to clear away the food and dishes and demanded that Connor stay where he was and him to do all the work. He wasn’t away for long, just about ten minutes to pile the dishes in his sink and put any leftover food away.

When he came back, Connor was staring at his hand. Persistently. He started at the hand like it owed him money.

Gavin rushing over to him asked quickly, “Hey, are you ok? Is something wrong?”

When he finally reached the android, he noticed that Connor’s face was very blue. He looked completely flushed and if Gavin didn’t know any better…

“Connor are you drunk?”

The android’s face morphed into a goofy smile and his face slowly drifted to stare back at Gavin’s. Gavin didn’t know if he should feel amused, frustrated, proud, or upset.

“Connor, how did you even get drunk?” Gavin asked exasperatedly taking the chair he once occupied.

Connor’s face was still dazed but happy as he answered Gavin, “Upgrades! I got upgrades!”

Connor seemed undoubtedly pleased with himself and Gavin couldn’t believe that this was his night. His perfectly planned out date that quickly went to this.

“Why, Connor? Why didn’t you tell me you got upgrades?” His voice was close to a groan as he tried to figure out what to do.

“I wanted to surprise you. Because I love you.” Connor was trying to sound sincere, he could tell. He sat up and looked to directly into Gavin’s eyes and tried to make the words come out as seriously as he could.

The moment was broken by Connor laughing about something that Gavin couldn’t make out. He heard the word ‘eyebrows’ in between laughter but chose not to ask.

His heart melted for his android lover and he decided that this date was going to go on, even with one of them completely drunk.

“Come one, sweetheart, let’s get you up,” Gavin said as he stood and walked over to Connor. He reached down and grabbed his hands hoisting him up. Connor rose shakily, like a newborn fawn and leaned heavily on Gavin, though he wasn’t sure if it was because he needed to or because he wanted to be close to the man. In fact, as they made their way to the couch of their first kiss, Connor seemed to fix his head in the juncture between Gavin’s neck and shoulder, refusing to let go.

Gavin noticed that the android was saying something, but it mostly came out as a jumbled hum of words and decided to focus on getting to their destination. When they finally flopped onto the soft couch, Connor stayed wrapped in one Gavin’s arms and plastered to his left side. He tried to turn the tv on with the remote in his right hand, getting it to play a movie that he had picked out in advance that he thought Connor would like. He couldn’t even remember what he picked but he prayed that it would captivate Connor in his drunken state.

Unfortunately, Connor only seemed to be interested in one thing: Gavin.

The detective almost yelped when he felt soft wet lips touch his neck. He certainly wasn’t expecting this, and Connor had never been this adventurous before. The open-mouthed kisses continued as the android trailed them close to his collarbone.

Gavin was just about to tell Connor to pay attention to the damn movie when he finally felt a sharp sucking sensation and a hint of teeth.

Oh God, Connor was trying to give him a hickey.

Gavin was torn between telling the android to stop or letting him go. He was certainly enjoying himself but was worried that Connor might change his mind once he was sober.

“H-hey, sweetheart, you want to stop now and wa-watch the movie?” Gavin tried to get out as smoothly, but this was impossible when he had a drunk and lovable Connor attached to his neck.

Connor surprisingly stopped. He leaned back from Gavin’s side and he thought that maybe this was for the best, even if he missed the warmth and soft skin of his lover.

Suddenly, Connor was on Gavin’s lap. His legs were on either side of the detectives and he was moving his hips forward. His eyes were black with desire and Gavin was incredibly turned on by the display.

Gavin met Connor’s face halfway and they met in a heated kiss. Connor was not hesitant at all and started to kiss him back ferocious. Gavin, a little more than aroused by the dominance, just let him take control.

That was until a little voice at the back of his head reminded him that they were not going any further in Connor’s state. Gavin was put out of course but cared more about the man he loved than drunken sex.

He pulled away from the android reluctantly and met his eyes. He tried to make the sternest expression he could muster and said, “Not tonight. But if you’re good, we can try in the morning.” Gavin knew that this probably wasn’t the truthful promise, but it was the only thing he could think of saying.

Connor frowned at his explanation. Gavin could practically see the gears turning in his processor as he tried to understand what his words meant. “You… You don’t want to copulate with me?”

Gavin was already bright red from this entire situation but at the words ‘copulate’ he felt his maroon skin go even darker. And that was when Gavin finally noticed the morose look on Connor’s face and the long hold of his yellow LED.

“Wait, what? Of course, I want to… to… do that! But you’re drunk and I you to be sober the first time we make love.”

Gavin didn’t mean to say ‘make love,’ Christ, what was he? Some twelve-year-old girl? It did fit because he was very much in love with Connor, but he didn’t need to make anything harder for the drunk android.

But this brings up a very pressing matter that had been plaguing Gavin before. “Do you? I mean do you want to… do that? Because we don’t have to! I don’t want to ever pressure-“

Gavin’s words were cut off when Connor moved one of his hands that had previously been around his neck to grab Gavin’s right hand on Connor’s waist. The movement was fast, but Gavin got the message very clearly. Connor had rested both joined hands on his crotch and had immediately felt the heat radiating from the area and… something hard?

Well, that answered that question.

……………………………………………………………….

Connor opened his eyes slowly and immediately noticed that this was not the ceiling he was normally acquainted with. Connor also became aware of the fact that this was not his customary soft mattress but a very firm one. He also felt very warm, his body scans registering his temperature at 99.1 degrees. Not much higher than the 98 degrees he was permanently set at but enough to tell there was a difference. This warmth seemed to be coming from the body that was very much entangled with his own.

The events of last night came back to Connor, but as if there was a blur over it all. This drunk upgrade certainly lived up to expectations as it gave him very similar memories as a drunk human would receive after a night of heavy drinking. He also remembered Gavin. Connor did not mean to become that intoxicated but was unsure how much would be needed to produce effects. He wanted to become what Hank called ‘tipsy.’ He didn’t like to admit how nervous he was about this date, but he thought that with lowered inhibitions he would be to express his desires better.

And if his memory upload is correct, there was a lot of expression of desire. One thing Connor was able to remember was that Gavin refused to go any further with him until he was sober. It made his biocompents feel as if they were malfunctioning and he became lightheaded. Connor wanted to remember all their time together, especially their intimate moments.

“Stop thinking so loud.” Gavin’s sleep filled voice came from under the blank. The words reverberated off of Connor’s chest as that was where Gavin had curled his head.

“I am sorry. I did not mean to interrupt your sleep,” Connor said apologetically but couldn’t help but be happy that Gavin was awake with him now. He was eager to share his experiences of intoxication with the man he loved.

He meant to first apologize and lead into his thinking of the previous night, but what came out of Connor’s mouth was reflexive and definitely not expected.

“We should have sex.”

Connor was shocked by what he said but obviously not as much as Gavin. Immediately after he said the word ‘sex’, Gavin pushed down the blanket and climbed over to Connor’s chest to get right in his face.

Connor was a little anxious. His lover was seemingly sizing him by staring directly into his eyes only mere inches from his face.

“Are you still drunk?” The question was inquisitive and Gavin looked at him so severely that Connor scanned all of his biocomponents to just make sure there was no longer any traces of alcohol in him.

“There is no longer any alcohol acting in my body,” Connor said neutrally, unsure of the results of this answer.

Gavin stared for a moment longer and then moved the rest of his body over Connor’s to straddle his hips, the movement coming quickly and almost unexpectedly to Connor.

The other man simply smiled down at Connor. “Thank god, I’ve been waiting all night.”

 

FIN


End file.
